Out of Jurisdiction #32

"Thank you, Bert. I owe you one," I said as I looked at the Marine soldier standing before me, doing his best to stuff the Beris I gave him into his chest pocket.

"Yeah, yeah. Just make it quick and talk to the Rear Admiral before one of the captains finds out what we're doing..." The Marine soldier, Bert, said, sighing as he gestured at the Transponder Snail on the table. "The call should connect any second now. You've got five minutes," he added as he got up and exited the room.

"Hello, kid. I don't know what you want, but I'm busy, so I'll ask you to be as brief and to the point as possible..." Rear Admiral Sicily's voice came from the Transponder Snail several seconds after Bert left.

"Hello, sir. I understand you're busy, so I'll get straight to the point..." I said as I took a deep breath and began explaining my situation with Hora and his students to the Rear Admiral, and he merely listened in silence without interrupting.

"... so you see, I'm trying to keep my nose clean as you asked, but I'm kind of in a pickle here..." I said as I let out a drawn breath, having finished explaining my predicament. "I'd understand if you didn't help me, but I'll find a way to pay you back if you do..." I concluded, pausing as I waited for a reply.

"I'm sorry to say South Blue is not under my jurisdiction..." Sicily said with a sigh. "I was transferred to Marine HQ long ago. My superiors sent me here on a mission to hunt down a fugitive due to my familiarity with the waters..." He added, causing me to grimace.

"Surely your name and rank carry some weight with the Marines here...?" I argued with a frown, refusing to give up.

"That it does... but with Admiral Sakazuki as my direct superior, you and I will be sharing a cell in Impel Down if I tried to interfere in Marine business outside my jurisdiction..." The Rear Admiral replied with a bitter chuckle.

"So you're telling me I'd either have to go to prison or spend the rest of my life on the run like a fugitive...?" I asked, rubbing the bridge of my nose in frustration as I prepared to end the call.

"Not necessarily..." The Rear Admiral said after a brief pause. "The Marine Corps is always seeking new talented recruits to join our ranks..." He added, his tone somewhat hesitant.

"Even Admiral Sakazuki might be tempted to bend the rules if you prove your potential..." Sicily went on, trailing at the end of his sentence. "And if you're as capable as I think you are, you will manage..." He added, and I could only frown and contemplate his words in silence.

"I realize this might not seem fair to you, young man..." The Rear Admiral said as he seemed to sense my unwillingness. "But the world is not a fair place... after serving for so many years as a Marine, I know that better than anyone..." He added, his tone bitter.

"More often than not, you will be forced to compromise... that's just how the world works," Sicily said with a sigh. "Ultimately, it's the choices you make in times like these that will define your future, so choose carefully," He added as he regained his calm, neutral tone.

"Let's say I accept your offer," I said after a brief pause as I processed the rear admiral's words. "What will be expected of me? And what can I expect in return?" I asked with a frown.

"First, you'd need to prove you're worth bending the rules," Sicily said, halting as he seemed to think it over. "You can go about it however you like, but bringing in a pirate with a sizable bounty will be the optimal, most guaranteed method," he added.

"And I suppose you already have someone in mind?" I asked.

"There's a pirate called Roshio who has been terrorizing the waters of South Blue for some time now," Sicily replied. "Typically, we'd leave the pirates of the four blues to the local marine branches since we have our hands full dealing with the big fish in the Grand Line. However," he added, bitterly sighing as he spoke.

"This particular pirate has been causing too much trouble, and we have reasons to believe he's preparing to cross the Reverse Mountain," the rear admiral explained. "There have been talks about nipping him in the bud to save ourselves the future headaches," he concluded.

"And where will I even find this Roshio character?" I asked as I took out my notebook and searched for anyone with that name in my notes. "I don't even have a ship," I added with a sigh.

"Roshio and his crew have been sighted near Centaurea recently. It's why we believe he's preparing to cross the Reverse Mountain," Sicily calmly replied. "Getting there and defeating him, however, is completely on you. It'll be a good way to show your resourcefulness," he added with a chuckle.

"If you can beat him and hand Roshio over or claim his head, I'll no doubt be able to convince Admiral Sakazuki to take you in," the rear admiral explained. "Once you're within our ranks, I can promise you'll receive the best training and resources to grow stronger and plenty of opportunities to climb through the ranks," he continued.

"You don't have to give me an answer now, but whatever you decide to do, you need to act quickly," the rear admiral concluded.

"I'll be sure to do that," I said with a nod. "Thank you for your time, sir," I added, my tone genuinely grateful as I prepared to end the call, only to stop as the rear admiral's voice sounded from the transponder snail.

"Oh, and before you go... I still didn't catch your name, young man," the rear admiral said, and I could only chuckle as I realized I hadn't even told him my name.

"It's Cedric, sir. Cedric Strode..."

...

Liu Fan couldn't help but sigh as he watched his student enter the dojo and head straight for his room, seemingly in a hurry. Despite his carefree, relaxed demeanor, the elderly martial artist wasn't without woes and responsibilities.

In truth, Liu Fan didn't want to stay on Karate Island, but he had a duty to fulfill there. And it was the same obligations that kept him tethered to the island that prevented him from helping his student.

Having lived for so long and dedicated his life to studying martial arts, he achieved a level of might that very few can even dream of. But despite his strength, he could only rot on Karate Island like his father before him as long as that damned promise remained unfulfilled.

Again, it was precisely the same duty, the same scourge haunting his bloodline, that prompted Liu Fan to remain without progeny. He didn't want his children to suffer the same fate of being robbed of their freedom simply because they were his.

"It's been a fun couple of months... but all good things must end..." Liu Fan mused, smiling as he watched Cedric exit his room with a full backpack and two suitcases.

"Oh? You're leaving, brat?" The elderly martial artist asked with a smile, and Cedric nodded. "I see... where will you go...?" He asked, genuinely curious about his student's destination.

"I'm heading for Centaurea..." Cedric replied. "Once there, I'll either rob a pirate and head to the Grand Line or turn him in and join the marines... I'm not entirely sure yet," he added, casually shrugging his shoulders.

"The marines, eh...?" Liu Fan said, raising an eyebrow at Cedric's remark as he found it surprising. "I didn't take you for the type, kiddo..." He added, tilting his head.

"I'm not entirely sure I'll join the Marines... but it might be the best way for me to move forward..." Cedric replied with a chuckle. "Anyway... I wanted to thank you before I left..." he said, causing Liu Fan to raise an eyebrow.

"You might not be reliable, but you still took me in and taught me... thank you for everything..." Cedric said with a smile, his tone genuine as he bowed before the elderly martial artist.

"Way to make an old man sentimental, you brat..." Liu Fan said, bitterly smiling as he approached his student and patted his shoulder. "I might not be reliable, but you're a damn good student... here, promises be damned..." he added as he reached into his inner pocket and took out a book with a black cover.

"What's this...?" Cedric asked, raising his head as he took the book from Liu Fan's hand. "And what promises...?" He asked, looking quite confused as he looked his teacher in the eye.

"The book has everything you need to know to learn the Rokushiki, and don't mind the other thing I said..." Liu Fan said with a sigh. "Now hurry up and get out of here..." he added, putting on a smile.

"And take that damned bird with you! I've had enough of that dumb animal shitting all over my courtyard!"

...

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